Stapling device with drive assembly stop member

ABSTRACT

A stop member for use with a surgical stapling device includes a plurality of sections that are releasably coupled to each other. Each of the sections includes a coupling member that can be selectively coupled to a tool assembly of the surgical stapling device to limit an actuation stroke of a drive assembly of the stapling device. Sections of the stop member can be removed from the stop member to change the position of a stop surface of the stop member on the tool assembly to change the effective stroke length of the clamp member.

FIELD

This disclosure is generally related to a surgical stapling deviceincluding a tool assembly and, more particularly, to a surgical staplingdevice including tool assembly having a stop member for controlling alength of advancement of a drive assembly of the tool assembly.

BACKGROUND

Surgical stapling devices typically include a tool assembly having anvilassembly and a cartridge assembly that are movable in relation to eachother between open and clamped positions. The cartridge assemblyincludes a staple cartridge and a channel. The staple cartridge isremovably supported within the channel to allow replacement of thestaple cartridge after use to facilitate reuse of the surgical staplingdevice. Staple cartridges are available in a variety of lengthsincluding, e.g., 30 mm, 45 mm, and 60 mm. The tool assembly includes adrive member including a knife bar that is movable along the length ofthe staple cartridge to fire rows of staples from the staple cartridgeand cut tissue between the rows of staples.

In certain surgical procedures, e.g., sleeve gastrectomy procedures, thelength of the staple cartridge may be longer than the tissue that mustbe stapled and cut. In such instances, when the stapling device is firedto eject the rows of staples from the staple cartridge, the staplesejected from the distal portion of the staple cartridge are ejected intoa body cavity of the patient.

A continuing need exists in the stapling arts for a stapling device withstructure that allows a clinician to more closely control a length ofthe staple line that is ejected from the tool assembly of the staplingdevice.

SUMMARY

This disclosure is directed to a stop member for use with a surgicalstapling device that can be selectively placed on a tool assembly of thestapling device during a surgical procedure to change an effectivestroke length of a drive assembly of the stapling device.

In aspects of this disclosure, a surgical stapling device includes anelongate body, a tool assembly, a drive assembly, and a stop member. Theelongate body has a proximal portion and a distal portion. The toolassembly is supported on the distal portion of the elongate body andincludes an anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly. The anvil andcartridge assemblies are coupled to each other such that the toolassembly is movable between open and clamped positions. The driveassembly is supported within the elongate body and includes a clampmember that is movable in relation to the tool assembly between fullyretracted and fully advanced positions to eject staples from thecartridge assembly. The stop member is selectively mountable to the toolassembly to limit movement of the drive assembly in relation to the toolassembly to a position between the fully retracted and advancedpositions.

In other aspects of this disclosure, a stop member includes a basemember and a plurality of coupling members. The base member includes aplurality of sections that are releasably coupled to each other. One ofthe plurality of coupling members is secured to each of the plurality ofsections of the base member. The plurality of sections of the basemember are separable from each other to change a length of the stopmember.

In other aspects of the disclosure, a reload assembly includes aproximal body portion, a tool assembly, a drive assembly, and a stopmember. The proximal body portion has a proximal portion and a distalportion. The proximal portion is adapted to releasably couple to astapling device. The tool assembly is supported on the distal portion ofthe proximal body portion and includes an anvil assembly and a cartridgeassembly. The anvil and cartridge assemblies are coupled to each othersuch that the tool assembly is movable between open and clampedpositions. The drive assembly is supported within the proximal bodyportion and includes a clamp member having an I-beam configuration witha beam that is movable in relation to the tool assembly between fullyretracted and fully advanced positions to eject staples from thecartridge assembly. The stop member is selectively mountable to the toolassembly to limit movement of the drive assembly in relation to the toolassembly to a position between the fully retracted and advancedpositions.

In aspects of the disclosure, the stop member has a length and includesa plurality of sections that are coupled together and separable fromeach other to change the length of the stop member.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the sections of the stop member arecoupled together by a frangible portion.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, each of the sections of the stopmember includes a base member and a coupling member that is configuredto couple the sections of the stop member to the tool assembly.

In aspects of the disclosure, the cartridge assembly includes a channelmember and a staple cartridge, and the channel member defines a centralknife slot and a cavity that receives the staple cartridge.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the channel member includes an outersurface and the stop member is secured to the outer surface of thechannel member.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, the coupling member of each of thesections of the stop member is received within the central knife slot ofthe channel member of the cartridge assembly to couple the stop memberto the channel member.

In aspects of the disclosure, each of the coupling members of thesections of the stop member includes resilient arms that are deformableinwardly to pass through the central knife slot of the channel member ofthe cartridge assembly.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the outer surface of the channelmember defines a longitudinal channel and the central knife slot ispositioned within the longitudinal channel such that the stop member isreceived within the longitudinal channel.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, the clamp member of the driveassembly has an I-beam configuration and includes a beam that is movablethrough the longitudinal channel of the channel member into engagementwith the stop member to limit longitudinal movement of the clamp memberin relation to the tool assembly.

In aspects of the disclosure, the stop member includes a stop surfacethat is positioned to limit movement of the clamp member to the fullyadvanced position.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the position of the stop surface ofthe stop member is changeable by removing sections of the stop member.

In certain aspects of the disclosure, the tool assembly forms part of areload assembly that is releasably coupled to the elongate body.

Other features of the disclosure will be appreciated from the followingdescription.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Various aspects of the disclosure are described herein below withreference to the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of a surgical stapling deviceincluding a tool assembly in an open position with a stop member inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure separated from the toolassembly;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the indicated area of detail shown in FIG.1;

FIG. 3 is a side perspective view of a distal portion of the surgicalstapling device of FIG. 1 with the tool assembly in the open position asthe stop member is being secured to a tool assembly;

FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the stop member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the stop member shown in FIG. 4after the stop member has been separated into two sections;

FIG. 6 is a side perspective view of a drive assembly of the staplingdevice shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side perspective view of a distal portion of the surgicalstapling device of FIG. 1 with the tool assembly in the open positionand the stop member secured to the tool assembly;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 9-9 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a side perspective view of the distal portion of the staplingdevice shown in FIG. 1 with the tool assembly in a clamped and firedposition and the stop member secured to the tool assembly and engagedwith the drive assembly of the surgical stapling device shown in FIG. 4;and

FIG. 11 is a side view of a stomach of a patient after the stomach hasbeen resected during a sleeve gastrectomy procedure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed surgical stapling device and stop member according toaspects of the disclosure will now be described in detail with referenceto the drawings in which like reference numerals designate identical orcorresponding elements in each of the several views. However, it is tobe understood that the disclosed aspects are merely exemplary of thedisclosure and may be embodied in various forms. Well-known functions orconstructions are not described in detail to avoid obscuring thedisclosure in unnecessary detail. Therefore, specific structural andfunctional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted aslimiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representativebasis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ thedisclosure in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

In this description, the term “proximal” is used generally to refer tothat portion of the device that is closer to a clinician, while the term“distal” is used generally to refer to that portion of the device thatis farther from the clinician. In addition, the term “endoscopic” isused generally used to refer to endoscopic, laparoscopic, arthroscopic,and/or any other procedure conducted through a small diameter incisionor cannula. Further, the term “clinician” is used generally to refer tomedical personnel including doctors, nurses, and support personnel. Inaddition, directional terms such as front, rear, upper, lower, top,bottom, distal, proximal, and similar terms are used to assist inunderstanding the description and are not intended to limit thedisclosure.

A stop member is disclosed for use with a surgical stapling device thatincludes a plurality of sections that are releasably coupled to eachother. The stop member includes a stop surface. Each of the sections ofthe stop member includes a coupling member that can be selectivelycoupled to a tool assembly of the surgical stapling device to limit anactuation stroke of a drive assembly of the stapling device. Sections ofthe stop member can be removed from the stop member to change theposition of the stop surface of the stop member on the tool assembly tochange the effective stroke length of the clamp member.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate exemplary aspects of the disclosed surgicalstapling device shown generally as stapling device 10. Stapling device10 includes a handle assembly 12, an elongate body 14, and a toolassembly 16. The elongate body 14 defines a longitudinal axis “X”(FIG. 1) and includes a proximal end portion 14 a that is coupled to thehandle assembly 12 and a distal end portion 14 b that supports the toolassembly 16. The tool assembly 16 is coupled to the elongate body 14 bya mounting assembly 20 that facilitates articulating movement of thetool assembly 16 in relation to the elongate body 14 between anon-articulated position and articulated positions. In certain aspectsof the disclosure, the tool assembly 16 forms part of a reload assembly18 which includes the tool assembly 16 and a proximal body portion 18 a.The proximal body portion 18 a of the reload assembly 18 is releasablycoupled to the elongate body 14.

In aspects of the disclosure, the handle assembly 12 is manuallyoperated and includes a stationary handle 24, a movable handle 26,retraction knobs 28, a rotation knob 30, and an articulation lever 32.The movable handle 26 is movable in relation to the stationary handle 24to actuate the tool assembly 16, i.e., move the tool assembly 16 betweenopen and clamped positions, eject staples, and cut tissue. The rotationknob 30 supports the elongate body 14 and is coupled to the handleassembly 12 for rotation such that rotation of the rotation knob 30causes rotation of the elongate body 14 and the tool assembly 16 aboutthe longitudinal axis “X” in relation to stationary portions of thehandle assembly 12. The articulation lever 32 is coupled to the toolassembly 16 and can be manipulated to move the tool assembly 16 from thenon-articulated position to the articulated positions. U.S. Pat. Nos.6,241,139 (“the '139 Patent) and 7,424,965 (“the '965 Patent”) includedetailed descriptions of exemplary components of the handle assembly 12of the stapling device 10. Although the stapling device 10 isillustrated to have a manually operated handle assembly, it isenvisioned that aspects of this disclosure are relevant to poweredstapling devices including robotically controlled stapling devices. U.S.Pat. No. 9,055,943 discloses exemplary aspects of a powered staplingdevice.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the tool assembly 16 which includes an anvilassembly 40 and a cartridge assembly 42. The anvil assembly 40 and thecartridge assembly 42 each have a linear configuration and includeproximal ends 40 a, 42 a, respectively, that are secured to the mountingassembly 20. In aspects of the disclosure, the anvil assembly 40 and thecartridge assembly 42 are mounted to the mounting assembly 20 tofacilitate pivotal movement of the cartridge assembly 42 in relation tothe anvil assembly 40 between open and clamped positions. Asillustrated, the anvil assembly 40 is stationary in relation to themounting assembly 20 and the cartridge assembly 42 pivots about thepivot members 46 towards and away from the anvil assembly 40. It isenvisioned that the cartridge assembly 42 could be stationary inrelation to the mounting assembly 20 and the anvil assembly 40 couldpivot about the pivot members 46 towards and away from the cartridgeassembly 42.

The cartridge assembly 42 includes a channel member 44 and a staplecartridge 46. The staple cartridge 46 includes a cartridge body 48 thatdefines a central knife slot 50 (FIG. 2) and staple receiving pockets 52positioned on each side of the central knife slot 50. Each of the staplereceiving pockets 52 receives a staple (not shown) and a pusher (notshown) which is movable within the cartridge body 48 to eject the staplefrom the cartridge body 48. In aspects of the disclosure, the staplereceiving pockets 52 are aligned in rows on each side of the centralknife slot 50. Although three rows of staple receiving pockets 52 areshown on each side of the central knife slot 50, it is envisioned thattwo or more rows of staples receiving pockets 52 can be formed on eachside of the central knife slot 50. It is also envisioned that the numberof rows on the opposite sides of the central knife slot 50 need not beequal, e.g., three rows of staple receiving pockets 52 can be formed onone side of the central knife slot 50 and two rows of staple receivingpockets 52 can be formed on the other side of the central knife slot 50.

In aspects of the disclosure, the channel member 44 includes an outersurface 56 (FIG. 3) that defines a longitudinal channel 58 and an innersurface (not shown) that defines a cavity that receives the staplecartridge 46. The staple cartridge 46 can be configured to be releasablysupported within the cavity defined by the channel member 44 tofacilitate reuse of the stapling device 10 (FIG. 1). Alternately, thestaple cartridge 46 can be fixedly supported within the cavity of thechannel member 44. The longitudinal channel 58 of the channel member 44receives and guides a clamp member 62 of a drive assembly 60 (FIG. 6) asthe clamp member 62 is moved between retracted and advanced positions asdescribed in further detail below. The channel member 44 defines a knifeslot 64 (FIG. 3) that is positioned within and extends along a portionof the length of the longitudinal channel 58.

The anvil assembly 42 includes an anvil plate 70 (FIG. 3) that defines acentral knife slot 72 and a staple forming pockets 74 positioned on eachside of the central knife slot 72. In aspects of the disclosure, thestaple forming pockets 74 are aligned in rows on each side of thecentral knife slot 72. The number of rows of staple forming pockets 74(FIG. 3) on each side of the central knife slot 72 will correspond tothe number of rows of staple receiving pockets 52 (FIG. 2) in the staplecartridge 46 such that the when the tool assembly 16 is in the clampedposition, each staple receiving pocket 52 will be in juxtaposedalignment with a respective staple forming pocket 74.

FIG. 3-5 illustrate a stop member 80 that can be coupled to the channelmember 44 of the cartridge assembly 42 to limit distal movement of thedrive assembly 60 (FIG. 6) as described in further detail below. Inaspects of the disclosure, the stop member 80 is formed from a pluralityof sections 82 that are releasably coupled to each other to allow thelength of the stop member 80 to be selectively changed by a clinician.In some aspects of the disclosure, each of the sections 82 of the stopmember 80 includes a base member 84 and a coupling member 86. In certainaspects of the disclosure, the coupling member 86 includes resilientarms that can be deformed inwardly (FIG. 8) and received within thecentral knife slot 64 of the channel member 44 to secure the base member84 of each of the sections 82 of the stop member 80 within thelongitudinal channel 58 of the channel member 44. When the resilientarms 86 pass through the central knife slot 64, the flexible arms 86return to their undeformed positions to secure the resilient arms 86within the channel member 44 (FIG. 9). It is envisioned that thecoupling members 86 can assume a variety of different configuration. Forexample, the coupling members 86 could be in the form of a rib that ispress fit into the central knife slot 64 of the channel member 44. Asstated above, the length of the stop member 80 within the longitudinalchannel 58 of the channel member 44 can be selectively changed by aclinician by separating a desired number of sections 82 of the stopmember 82 from the stop member 82. The proximal-most section 82 a of thestop member 80 that is secured to the tool assembly 16 includes a stopsurface 82 b that is positioned within the longitudinal channel 58 toobstruct movement of the clamp member 62 to its fully advanced positionas described below.

In aspects of the disclosure, the sections 82 of the stop member 80 arecoupled together by frangible portions 88 that can be separated fromeach other to shorten the length of the stop member 80. It is envisionedthat the sections 82 of the stop member 80 can be coupled together usinga variety of different types of couplings including interlockingstructure, adhesives or the like.

FIG. 6 illustrates the drive assembly 60 which includes a flexible beam90, a coupling 92, and the clamp member 62. The coupling 92 is supportedon a proximal portion of the flexible beam 90 and the clamping member 62is supported on the distal portion of the flexible beam 90. The coupling92 is adapted to be coupled to a control rod (not shown) supportedwithin the elongate body 14 (FIG. 1) of the stapling device 10 such thatmovement of the control rod (not shown) within the elongate body 14causes corresponding movement of the flexible beam 90 from a retractedposition to an advanced position to move the clamp member 62 through thetool assembly 16 from a fully retracted position to a fully advancedposition.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the clamp member 62 of the driveassembly 60 has an I-beam configuration and includes a first beam 94, asecond beam 96 and a strut 98. The strut 98 supports a knife blade 100.The first beam 94 is received within a channel (not shown) definedwithin the anvil assembly 40 when the clamp member 62 is moved betweenretracted and advanced positions in relation to the tool assembly 16 andthe second beam 96 is received within the longitudinal channel 58 of thechannel member 44 of the cartridge assembly 42 when the clamp member 62is moved between retracted and advanced positions in relation to thetool assembly 16. U.S. Pat. No. 8,132,706 discloses operation of a driveassembly including a clamp member suitable for use in the staplingdevice 10 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 10 illustrates the distal portion of the stapling device 10(FIG. 1) with the tool assembly 16 in a clamped and fired position. Whenthe stop member 80 is received within the longitudinal channel 58 of thechannel member 44, the stop surface 82 b of proximal-most section 82 aof the stop member 80 is positioned to engage the beam 96 of the clampmember 62 to obstruct distal movement of the clamp member 62 along thechannel member 44 beyond the proximal end of the stop member 80. Assummarized above, the proximal-most section 82 a of the stop member 82can be separated from the stop member 82 and discarded to change thelength of the stop member 80 and the position of the stop surface 82 bon the tool assembly 16.

During a surgical procedure, such as a sleeve gastrectomy procedure, thestaple line defined by staple cartridge may have a length “A” (FIG. 10)that is longer than that required to staple a tissue section. Forexample, during a sleeve gastrectomy procedure, multiple firings of thestapling device 10 may be required to staple and resect the stomach “S”.During such a procedure, the length of the tissue “B” that requiresstapling and cutting may be shorter than the length “A” of the stapleline defined by the staple cartridge 46 (FIG. 2). In such a situation,the clinician can couple the stop member 80 (FIG. 10) to the channelmember 44 of the cartridge assembly 42 during the surgical procedure tolimit advancement of the clamp member 62 through the tool assembly 16 toits fully advanced position within the tool assembly 16. The length ofthe stop member 80 can be selected by the clinician by removing sections82 of the stop member 80 and securing the remaining stop member 80 tothe tool assembly 16. By doing this, a staple line can be applied over alength that corresponds to the length “B” FIG. 11 of the tissue thatrequires stapling and cutting to avoid depositing staples into the bodycavity of a patient.

Although the stop member 80 is shown to be releasably secured to thecartridge assembly 42, it is envisioned that the stop member 80 and theanvil assembly 40 could be adapted such that the stop member 80 could beselectively coupled to the anvil assembly 40 of the tool assembly 16. Itis also noted that in the disclosed stapling device 10 (FIG. 1), theclamp member 62 moves from a retracted position to an advanced positionto actuate the tool assembly 16, i.e., eject staples and cut tissue, andthe stop member 80 is positioned on a distal portion of the toolassembly 16. It is envisioned that the clamp member may move from aretracted position to an advanced position to actuate the staplingdevice. In such devices, it is envisioned that the stop member could becoupled to the proximal portion of the tool assembly.

Persons skilled in the art will understand that the devices and methodsspecifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings are non-limiting exemplary aspects of the disclosure. It isenvisioned that the elements and features illustrated or described inconnection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with theelements and features of another without departing from the scope of thepresent disclosure. As well, one skilled in the art will appreciatefurther features and advantages of the disclosure based on theabove-described aspects of the disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosureis not to be limited by what has been particularly shown and described,except as indicated by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A surgical stapling device comprising: anelongate body having a proximal portion and a distal portion; a toolassembly supported on the distal portion of the elongate body includingan anvil assembly and a cartridge assembly, the anvil and cartridgeassemblies coupled to each other such that the tool assembly is movablebetween open and clamped positions; a drive assembly supported withinthe elongate body, the drive assembly including a clamp member that ismovable in relation to the tool assembly between fully retracted andfully advanced positions to eject staples from the cartridge assembly;and a stop member selectively mountable to the tool assembly to limitmovement of the drive assembly in relation to the tool assembly to aposition between the fully retracted and advanced positions.
 2. Thesurgical stapling device of claim 1, wherein the stop member has alength and includes a plurality of sections that are coupled together,the sections being separable from each other to change the length of thestop member;
 3. The surgical stapling device of claim 2, wherein thesections of the stop member are coupled together by a frangible portion.4. The surgical stapling device of claim 3, wherein each of the sectionsof the stop member includes a base member and a coupling member, thecoupling members configured to couple the sections of the stop member tothe tool assembly.
 5. The surgical stapling device of claim 4, whereinthe cartridge assembly includes a channel member and a staple cartridge,the channel member defining a central knife slot and a cavity thatreceives the staple cartridge.
 6. The surgical stapling device of claim6, wherein the channel member includes an outer surface and the stopmember is secured to the outer surface of the channel member.
 7. Thesurgical stapling device of claim 6, wherein the coupling member of eachof the sections of the stop member is received within the central knifeslot of the channel member of the cartridge assembly to couple the stopmember to the channel member.
 8. The surgical stapling device of claim8, wherein each of the coupling members of the sections of the stopmember includes resilient arms that are deformable inwardly to passthrough the central knife slot of the channel member of the cartridgeassembly.
 9. The surgical stapling device of claim 7, wherein the outersurface of the channel member defines a longitudinal channel and thecentral knife slot extends within the longitudinal channel such that thestop member is received within the longitudinal channel.
 10. Thesurgical stapling device of claim 9, wherein the clamp member of thedrive assembly has an I-beam configuration and includes a beam that ismovable through the longitudinal channel of the channel member intoengagement with the stop member to limit longitudinal movement of theclamp member in relation to the tool assembly.
 11. The surgical staplingdevice of claim 10, wherein the stop member includes a stop surface thatis positioned to limit movement of the clamp member towards the fullyadvanced position.
 12. The surgical stapling device of claim 11, whereinthe position of the stop surface of the stop member is changeable byremoving sections of the stop member.
 13. The surgical stapling deviceof claim 1, wherein the tool assembly forms part of a reload assemblythat is releasably coupled to the elongate body.
 14. A stop membercomprising: a base member including a plurality of sections that arereleasably coupled to each other; and a plurality of coupling members,one of the plurality of coupling members secured to each of theplurality of sections of the base member, wherein each of the pluralityof sections of the base member is separable from the other sections tochange a length of the stop member.
 15. The stop member of claim 14,wherein each of the plurality of coupling members including resilientarms.
 16. The stop member of claim 14, wherein the sections of the basemember include frangible portions which releasably couple the sectionsof the base member to each other.
 17. A reload assembly comprising: aproximal body portion having a proximal portion and a distal portion,the proximal portion adapted to releasably couple to a stapling device;a tool assembly supported on the distal portion of the proximal bodyportion, the tool assembly including an anvil assembly and a cartridgeassembly, the anvil and cartridge assemblies coupled to each other suchthat the tool assembly is movable between open and clamped positions; adrive assembly supported within the proximal body portion, the driveassembly including a clamp member having an I-beam configurationincluding a beam that is movable in relation to the tool assemblybetween fully retracted and fully advanced positions to eject staplesfrom the cartridge assembly; and a stop member selectively mountable tothe tool assembly to limit movement of the drive assembly in relation tothe tool assembly to a position between the fully retracted and advancedpositions.
 18. The reload assembly of claim 17, wherein the stop memberhas a length and includes a plurality of sections that are coupledtogether by a frangible portion, the sections being separable from eachother to change the length of the stop member.
 19. The reload assemblyof claim 18, wherein the outer surface of the channel member defines alongitudinal channel and a central knife slot, and the each of thesections of the stop member includes a coupling member that is receivedwithin the central knife slot to couple the stop member within thelongitudinal channel of the channel member.
 20. The reload assembly ofclaim 19, wherein the beam of the clamp member is movable within thelongitudinal channel of the channel member from a retracted position toan advanced position to eject staples from the cartridge assembly, andthe stop member is selectively coupled within a distal portion of thelongitudinal channel of the channel member to obstruct movement of theclamp member to its fully advanced position.